IU Baseball

[TXHoosierDaddy 1,375]

There are some good names on this list - hopefully, Glass is going to do a thorough search

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/college-baseballs-coaching-carousel-50-names-to-watch/

[Dalton26 16,891]

I'm not going to shed a tear over Lemonis leaving.

[TXHoosierDaddy 1,375]

5 minutes ago, Dalton26 said:

I'm not going to shed a tear over Lemonis leaving.

Exactly. Anyone that wanted Glass to throw more money his way...why? he clearly wasn't going to be able to get IU over the hump from what I could see. 

[LamarCheeks 16,810]

This, from Zach Osterman of the IndyStar. 

Lemonis undoubtedly leaves the program better than he found it. If Tracy Smith, his predecessor, proved you could win big at a Big Ten school, Lemonis proved you could sustain that success.

I completely disagree. How can you claim he leaves the program better off than when he found it! That's preposterous! When Lemonis took over, he had a team that two years prior, had been to the CWS and the year before, had a No. 4 national seed and in B1G games (including the tourney), went 25-3 with the three losses coming by one run each. That's dominance. IU, under Lemonis, dominated nothing. He might be a decent recruiter, but from what I saw, his teams were very poor fundamentally and didn't seem to have a very high baseball IQ. 

[Brass Cannon 24,064]

6 minutes ago, LamarCheeks said:

This, from Zach Osterman of the IndyStar. 

Lemonis undoubtedly leaves the program better than he found it. If Tracy Smith, his predecessor, proved you could win big at a Big Ten school, Lemonis proved you could sustain that success.

I completely disagree. How can you claim he leaves the program better off than when he found it! That's preposterous! When Lemonis took over, he had a team that two years prior, had been to the CWS and the year before, had a No. 4 national seed and in B1G games (including the tourney), went 25-3 with the three losses coming by one run each. That's dominance. IU, under Lemonis, dominated nothing. He might be a decent recruiter, but from what I saw, his teams were very poor fundamentally and didn't seem to have a very high baseball IQ. 

Agreed. Its more talented maybe than the team he got. But the new coach will have to teach the entire team some basic fundamentals. 

[KB0 827]

I think some of you are being a little harsh on Lemonis. 

Obviously there was a drop-off after Smith left. Those were the two best years in Indiana Baseball history. There was going to be a drop-off.

Lemonis got IU to the tournament three out of the four years he was here. That's a good return for a Big Ten school. 

I'm not saying Lemonis is a great coach, but he's not chopped liver either. There's no guarantee IU baseball will continue to be this successful moving forward.

[WayneFleekHoosier 46,725]

Lemonis’ 4 years proves that the previous 2 years with Smith weren’t a fluke and that Indiana is a school where you can win year to year. That has to be attractive to plenty of coaches. Maybe more attractive in that the wonder of fluke years have been ironed out.


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[Hardwood83 4,494]

6 minutes ago, WayneFleekHoosier said:

Lemonis’ 4 years proves that the previous 2 years with Smith weren’t a fluke and that Indiana is a school where you can win year to year. That has to be attractive to plenty of coaches. Maybe more attractive in that the wonder of fluke years have been ironed out.


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Well said. B1G isn't likely going to ever be a great baseball conference, but there is no reason IU shouldn't be the premiere program in the conference. 

[TXHoosierDaddy 1,375]

The good thing about this is I don't think it could come at a more perfect time. Lemonis recruited really well here. There is a lot of talent and depth on this roster. Assuming we can keep most of the recruits and roster intact, the new coach will have a lot to work with right off the bat. Couple that with a coach that can ACTUALLY develop talent and you could be looking at an even better team another year or two down the road. The hire is key though. Going internal for this would be a major disappointment. I hope Glass alligns his hire with the fact that we have some of the best faciltiies in the midwest and one of the most consistent programs over the last 5-7 years. 

[TXHoosierDaddy 1,375]

4 hours ago, Aaron said:

Two guys I have heard thrown around that I personally have met and am very impressed with is either Scott Googins or Ben Greenspan.

Googins was an assistant here and for Tracy Smith at Miami (OH) before going to Xavier where he did a solid job making Regionals 3 times in his last 4 years. He went to Cincinnati this year and without him Xavier tanked and UC had there best season in a long time.

Greenspan is Tracy Smith's assistant who has learned under him for a while. He is indirectly personally responsible for IU's turnaround. As bad as Rick Greenspan was as our athletic director in many ways, Ben's wanting to coach as an assistant is what gave Rick the push to can Morgan and bring in Tracy Smith to work under his son. His ability to develop hitters is second to none and where Lemonis really lacked.

I only know Googins very little and met him twice. Greenspan I know better and well enough that if I saw him on the street he would know who I am. I am personally impressed with him but negative is no coaching experience.

Obviously first call goes to Tracy Smith but assuming he says no from my selfish point of view definitely take a look at the two above guys. Anyone off Smith's coaching tree is a major bonus in my opinion.

Also Jeff Mercer at Wright St is intriguing to me being from Indiana. I have never met him but am familiar with the Wright St program and they have dominated the Horizon League similar to how IU has been the class of the Big Ten recently. I can also tell you having been to many Horizon League games that Wright St's stadium is about as nice as it gets at that level (basically a poor man's Bart Kaufman Field in design) and they are the only Horizon League team that draws a few locals from the community as fans and is not just a family and friends crowd.

I have not looked into other names yet but would be happy with any of the above.

One guy I hope Glass does not touch with a 10 foot pole is Rich Maloney at Ball St. He was among the finalists along with Lemonis last time and after some success at Michigan drove the program into the ground. He then resurfaced back at Ball St. where he has won very little even at that level. Guy is to old school and has not adjusted in last few years as game has gotten better.  

I'd like to add a few to this great list.

Jeff Duncan, head coach, Kent State: If Miami (Ohio) is the cradle of coaching for football, fellow Mid-American Conference school Kent State holds that distinction in baseball. Ohio State’s Greg Beals, Georgia Tech’s Danny Hall and Georgia’s Scott Stricklin all have ties to the school and Duncan figures to follow them to the Power Five level sooner or later. He is in his fifth year as head coach and while the MAC Tournament has been something of a bugaboo for the Golden Flashes, they are averaging a 37-19 record during his tenure and are rolling toward their third straight regular-season title. An Arizona State alumnus who has coached in the SEC and the Big Ten, Duncan has ties to nearly every part of the country.

Darin Hendrickson, head coach, Saint Louis: Hendrickson has been a head coach since 1996, rising through the Division III, junior college and Division II ranks before reaching Saint Louis in 2008. In the last 11 years, Hendrickson has led the Billikens to the NCAA Tournament twice and won four straight A-10 titles from 2012-15. That resume should be attractive to any program in the heartland with an opening.

Longer shots

Kevin McMullan, associate head coach, Virginia: McMullan, the 2009 Assistant Coach of the Year, has twice been voted by head coaches as the assistant coach with the brightest future as a head coach—first in 2012 and again this fall. He has been Virginia’s recruiting coordinator for the last 15 years and helped the Cavaliers to the 2015 national championship. If anyone can hire him away from Charlottesville, there’s little doubt that school would see outstanding results.

Rob Walton, pitching coach, Oklahoma State: Walton, the 2016 Assistant Coach of the Year, is in his sixth year as Oklahoma State’s pitching coach, a role he has excelled in. But he also has nine years of head coaching experience at Oral Roberts, where he went 367-167 and made the NCAA Tournament every year. He’s back at his alma mater and has been an integral part in the Cowboys' resurgence under head coach Josh Holiday, but Walton would be an outstanding fit at a school such as Kansas State, if he wants to get back into head coaching.

[RBB89 3,497]

6 hours ago, TXHoosierDaddy said:

Exactly. Anyone that wanted Glass to throw more money his way...why? he clearly wasn't going to be able to get IU over the hump from what I could see. 

Mississippi State is a baseball powerhouse, but he’s not good enough for us. Right...

Be careful what you wish for. I think we will be fine, but some of our fans are getting awfully arrogant.

[RBB89 3,497]

6 hours ago, KB0 said:

I think some of you are being a little harsh on Lemonis. 

Obviously there was a drop-off after Smith left. Those were the two best years in Indiana Baseball history. There was going to be a drop-off.

Lemonis got IU to the tournament three out of the four years he was here. That's a good return for a Big Ten school. 

I'm not saying Lemonis is a great coach, but he's not chopped liver either. There's no guarantee IU baseball will continue to be this successful moving forward.

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like what has happened to our fans in terms of baseball. We seem to see ourselves as some kind of elite juggernaut. I like where the program is at, but we have people who seem to think we are the pinnacle of college baseball and who also don’t seem to even know what exactly it is that they want in a coach.

[Brass Cannon 24,064]

1 minute ago, RBB89 said:

Mississippi State is a baseball powerhouse, but he’s not good enough for us. Right...

Be careful what you wish for. I think we will be fine, but some of our fans are getting awfully arrogant.

Your assuming they arent going to regret this hire

[RBB89 3,497]

Mississippi State’s stadium:

 

[Brass Cannon 24,064]

Just now, RBB89 said:

Mississippi State’s stadium:

 

Once again who cares. Just because a premier program wants him doesn’t mean he’s good. 

Look at Crean coming from Marquette

[RBB89 3,497]

IU:

[TXHoosierDaddy 1,375]

4 hours ago, RBB89 said:

Mississippi State is a baseball powerhouse, but he’s not good enough for us. Right...

Be careful what you wish for. I think we will be fine, but some of our fans are getting awfully arrogant.

In no way did I say he wasn't good enough for us or insinuate he's a bad coach. I liked Lemo. But no I wouldn't get in a bidding war over him. I think there are enough coaches out there that can at least keep IU at the level its been under Lemonis' watch. I am a little surprised MSU went with him though. If you're Lemonis you can't turn that down. 

[Dalton26 16,891]

Mississippi State is a baseball powerhouse, but he’s not good enough for us. Right...
Be careful what you wish for. I think we will be fine, but some of our fans are getting awfully arrogant.

I think you’re massively reaching here. For the most part everyone has pointed out what he’s good at and where he lacks. There really hasn’t been anyone say he’s terrible, just that they wouldn’t get in a bidding war for him.

I don’t see arrogance at all, however I do see more and more oversensitive/overreacting posts like yours.

[KB0 827]

7 minutes ago, Dalton26 said:

 

I think you’re massively reaching here. For the most part everyone has pointed out what he’s good at and where he lacks. There really hasn’t been anyone say he’s terrible, just that they wouldn’t get in a bidding war for him.

I don’t see arrogance at all, however I do see more and more oversensitive/overreacting posts like yours.

 

My biggest issue is that it seems everyone just assumes the baseball team will continue to win at the level they have been recently. It's possible they do, but it is certainly not guaranteed. These last 6 years have been the best in school history and should not be dismissed lightly. 

Lemonis never hit the ceiling everyone wanted, but his teams had a pretty high floor.    

[Dalton26 16,891]

My biggest issue is that it seems everyone just assumes the baseball team will continue to win at the level they have been recently. It's possible they do, but it is certainly not guaranteed. These last 6 years have been the best in school history and should not be dismissed lightly. 
Lemonis never hit the ceiling everyone wanted, but his teams had a pretty high floor.    

I understand that and completely agree. Our program could go either way in the blink of an eye, but something a few people seem to be forgetting is he wasn’t fired, he chose to leave. It’s not like fans were calling for his head 24/7. Not being upset about someone choosing to leave doesn’t really scream arrogance imo. A lot of the comments made about him here are the same comments I see on a couple MIss St boards about him.